Books in The Road to War: Causes of Conflict series

World War II is generally considered to have begun in September 1939, when the armies of Nazi Germany invaded its neighbor Poland. After Britain and France declared war, the conflict quickly escalated to include most of the major nations of the world. By the time it ended, some 55 million people had lost their lives. The Second World War occurred because of decisions made during the preceding two decades. This book discusses the ramifications of the Treaty of Versailles, which ended the First World War. It explains the rise of militaristic governments in Italy, Germany, and Japan during the 1920s and early 1930s. It examines unsuccessful attempts by League of Nations to resolve conflicts peacefully, and the Western policy of “appeasement” toward the aggressors. Ultimately, each of these diverse issues contributed to the outbreak of global war.

The American Civil War was the bloodiest conflict in American history. Some 620,000 Americans lost their lives during the four-year struggle that began at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. This book traces the sectional strife that emerged during the early 19th century and grew more pronounced during the 1850s. It discusses such key issues as slavery, economic and social differences between North and South, and the efforts by leaders of both regions to hold political power nationally. Key events in the sectional conflict, including the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Dred Scott decision, and the presidential election of 1860, are fully explained. Each of these helped push the United States down the path to the secession crisis and war.

Most people know that the “Shot Heard ’Round the World”—an armed clash between British soldiers and colonial minutemen in April 1775—marks the start of the American Revolution. When the fighting ended, the thirteen American colonies had gained their freedom, and inspired the leaders of future revolts in France and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. This book traces the events that led to the American Revolution. It explains the ideas about the right to self-government that began to circulate in the colonies during the 1760s. It discusses the rising tensions as Britain imposed repressive policies on the colonies, which in turn led some American leaders to promote outright independence. Although the war might have been avoided if both sides had been willing to compromise, by 1775 conflict was inevitable.

The American Civil War was the bloodiest conflict in American history. Some 620,000 Americans lost their lives during the four-year struggle that began at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. This book traces the sectional strife that emerged during the early 19th century and grew more pronounced during the 1850s. It discusses such key issues as slavery, economic and social differences between North and South, and the efforts by leaders of both regions to hold political power nationally. Key events in the sectional conflict, including the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Dred Scott decision, and the presidential election of 1860, are fully explained. Each of these helped push the United States down the path to the secession crisis and war.

Most people know that the “Shot Heard ’Round the World”—an armed clash between British soldiers and colonial minutemen in April 1775—marks the start of the American Revolution. When the fighting ended, the thirteen American colonies had gained their freedom, and inspired the leaders of future revolts in France and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. This book traces the events that led to the American Revolution. It explains the ideas about the right to self-government that began to circulate in the colonies during the 1760s. It discusses the rising tensions as Britain imposed repressive policies on the colonies, which in turn led some American leaders to promote outright independence. Although the war might have been avoided if both sides had been willing to compromise, by 1775 conflict was inevitable.

In March 2003, the United States and its allies launched an attack on Iraq, to remove the country's brutal and dangerous dictator, Saddam Hussein, from power. U.S. leaders expressed fears that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction--nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons that could be used to kill large numbers of people--and said they wanted to prevent Saddam from using the weapons or giving them to terrorist groups. The roots of the conflict in Iraq extend back to the late 19th century. This book describes the creation of Iraq after World War I, and traces the events that led to the 1991 Gulf War. It discusses the rising tensions throughout the 1990s, as Saddam defied U.N. demands that he disarm. And it explains how, after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the United States, U.S. leaders decided to make regime change in Iraq a key element of their "war on terrorism."